Download - SECTION 4 Muslims in India
SECTION 4Muslims in India
Muslim invasions and rule over India led to cultural diffusion as well as bloody clashes between Muslims and Hindus
The Delhi Sultanate After the Gupta empire fell in about 550, India again
broke into many local kingdoms Hindu and Buddhist rulers spent huge sums to build and
decorate magnificent temples Arabs conquered the Indus Valley in 711, they
advanced no farther into the subcontinent In the late 1100s, the sultan of Ghur defeated Hindu
armies across the northern plain He made Delhi his capital
From there, his successors organized a sultanate, or land ruled by a sultan
The Delhi sultanate, which lasted from 1206 to 1526, marked the start of Muslim rule in northern India
The Delhi SultanateWhy did the Muslim invaders triumph? They won on the battlefield in part because Muslim
mounted archers had far greater mobility than Hindu forces, who rode slow-moving war elephants
Also, Hindu princes wasted resources battling one another instead of uniting against a common enemy
In some places, large numbers of Hindus, especially from low castes, converted to Islam
In the Hindu social system, people were born into castes, or social groups from which they could not change
Effects of Muslim Rule Muslim rule brought changes to Indian government
and society Sultans introduced Muslim traditions of government
Trade between India and the Muslim world increased
During the Mongol raids of the 1200s, many scholars and adventurers fled from Baghdad to India, bringing Persian and Greek learning
The newcomers helped create a brilliant civilization at Delhi, where Persian art and architecture flourished
In 1398, Tamerlane invaded India, the sultans no longer controlled a large empire, and northern India again fragmented, this time into rival Hindu and Muslim states
Muslims and Hindus At its worst, the Muslim conquest of northern
India inflicted disaster on Hindus and Buddhists
The widespread destruction of Buddhist monasteries contributed to the drastic decline of Buddhism as a major religion in India
During the most violent onslaughts, many Hindus were killed
Others may have converted to escape death
Hindu-Muslim Differences The Muslim advance brought two utterly
different religions and cultures face to face Hindus recognized many sacred texts and
prayed before statues representing many gods and goddesses
Islam, by contrast, was a newer faith with a single sacred text
Muslims were devout monotheists who saw the statues and carvings in Hindu temples as an offense to the one true god
Hindu-Muslim Differences Hindus accepted differences in caste status and
honored Brahmans as a priestly caste Muslims taught the equality of all believers before
God and had no religious hierarchy Hindus celebrated religious occasions with music
and dance, a practice that many strict Muslims condemned
Eventually, the Delhi sultans grew more tolerant of their subject population
Although Hindus remained second-class citizens, as long as they paid the non-Muslim tax, they could practice their religion Some sultans even left rajahs, or local Hindu rulers, in
place.
Cultural Blending During the Delhi sultanate, a growing number
of Hindus converted to Islam Indian Muslims absorbed elements of Hindu
culture, such as marriage customs and caste ideas
An Indian holy man, Nanak, sought to blend Islamic and Hindu beliefs
He preached “the unity of God, the brotherhood of man, the rejection of caste, and the futility of idol worship.”
His teachings led to the rise of a new religion, Sikhism, in northern India
Mughal India In 1526, Turkish and Mongol invaders again poured
through the mountain passes in India At their head rode Babur (bah buhr), who claimed
descent from Genghiz Khan and Tamerlane Babur was a military genius, poet, and author of a
fascinating book of memoirs In no time, Babur swept away the remnants of the
Delhi sultanate and set up the Mughal dynasty, which ruled from 1526 to 1857 (Mughal is the Persian word for “Mongol.”)
Babur and his heirs conquered an empire that stretched from the Himalayas to the Deccan Plateau
Akbar the Great The chief builder of the Mughal empire was Babur's grandson
Akbar. Akbar was a leader of unusual abilities Although a Muslim, he won the support of Hindu subjects
through his policy of toleration He opened government jobs to Hindus of all castes and treated
Hindu princes as his partners in ruling the vast empire. He ended the tax on non-Muslims and himself married a Hindu
princess. By recognizing India's diversity, Akbar placed Mughal power on a
firm footing. Akbar strengthened his empire in other ways as well
To improve government, he used paid officials in place of hereditary officeholders
He modernized the army, encouraged international trade, standardized weights and measures, and introduced land reforms
Akbar's Successors Akbar's son Jahangir (juh hahn gir) was a weaker
ruler than his father He left most details of government in the hands of
his wife, Nur Jahan Fortunately, she was an able leader whose shrewd political
judgment was matched only by her love of poetry and royal sports
Shah Jahan, Akbar's grandson’s wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died at age 39, he then had a stunning tomb built for her, the Taj Mahal (tahzh muh hahl) It was designed in Persian style, with spectacular white
domes and graceful minarets mirrored in clear blue reflecting pools